Portneuf District Library drops late fees

Imagine a world without library fines.

It’s now happening at the Portneuf District Library in Chubbuck.

Library Director Holly Jackson said the board has adopted a new policy stating there will no longer be any overdue fines. The policy takes effect immediately. All outstanding late fine balances will be forgiven when a patron next visits the library.

“This is a big deal and we are so excited,” said Jackson. “We are on the forefront of the ‘no fines’ movement in libraries. We want to see our patrons who have stopped coming to the library because of concern over late fines return to the library and enjoy our services again.”

There are some exceptions. Books returned damaged or books that are lost will result in charges for replacement of the item. Any outstanding charges for lost or damaged books will remain on the patron’s account until arrangements can be made to resolve them. And, patrons with overdue materials will be asked to return them before being allowed to check out any more items.

The new policy will help Portneuf District Library kick off National Library Week April 8 through April 14.

This year’s theme is “Libraries Lead.”